Election 2010: William Hague vows to improve 'broken' parliamentary relationships

Published on 26/04/2010 13:38

SHADOW foreign secretary William Hague today pledged the Conservatives would repair the damaged relationship between Holyrood and Westminster.

• William Hague (right) and David Mundell, Shadow Scottish Secretary, at an election campaign press conference in Edinburgh. Picture: Jane Barlow

Mr Hague laid part of the blame for Britain's "broken politics" at the door of First Minister Alex Salmond and Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

He called on the First Minister to "raise his game and put Scotland first" when working with the Government elected on May 6.

Mr Hague unveiled a billboard poster showing an x-ray of a broken bone superimposed on to a map of the UK during a campaign visit to Edinburgh today.

He said: "The Conservatives are determined to repair the broken relationship depicted here between our Governments and our Parliaments.

"Gordon Brown and Alex Salmond, it is well known, have damaged this relationship with petty party politics and a refusal to work together."

Mr Hague claimed there was "little if any co-operation" between the two leaders over the release of "Britain's biggest mass murderer", Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.

He also said the two leaders failed to meet "for nearly a year" when the recession took hold of Britain.

Mr Hague, along with Scotland's only Tory MP David Mundell, listed the measures his party would take to work with the SNP Government.

David Cameron would visit the First Minister "within a week of being elected" Prime Minister.

Mr Hague said: "This would be a symbol of change to signal a fresh start and one based on mutual respect between two Governments. We need to work together for the good of Britain and the good of Scotland."

Mr Mundell said the Scottish Secretary would visit Holyrood to explain to MSPs how the Queen's Speech would affect Scotland.

He said UK ministers would also pay a visit to explain their emergency budget, which will be unveiled by a Tory Government within 50 days of taking office.

If elected Prime Minister, Mr Cameron would also visit Holyrood within the first year of being elected to be questioned by MSPs.

Mr Mundell said: "People will see that real and substantial change."

Mr Hague said the Tories and the SNP would achieve more by co-operating on issues such as the high-speed rail link between London and Scotland and their proposed National Citizens Service.

He said: "We've got to fix Britain's broken politics, we've got to repair the damage done by the SNP Government at Holyrood and the Labour Government at Westminster. We've got to stop the politics of groan and gripes and grievances.

"Scotland deserves better than that.

"The challenge now for the SNP is to put aside petty politics and start acting like the Government they were elected to be and to be prepared to work in this way with a Government at Westminster.

"The next two years are vital for the future of our country. We're all in this together.

"Can Alex Salmond raise his game and put Scotland first, working together with a Westminster Government?

"We're setting out the plans to do that in the future and the Conservative commitment to doing that in the future."

Mr Hague added that his definition of success in Afghanistan was when the country could "look after their own affairs without presenting a significant danger to the rest of the world".

He also confirmed Tory plans to scrap the Child Trust Fund for families earning more than 50,000 a year.

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